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Elizabeth Swann
Elizabeth Turner (née Swann) was born in London, England to Weatherby and Sally Swann. When she was a little girl, Elizabeth made the crossing from England to Port Royal in the Caribbean. Years later, several run-ins with pirates set her life on a different course, as she became a tomboy female pirate. Biography Early life The crossing from England Elizabeth Swann was born to Weatherby and Sylvia Swann, and raised in London, England. At some point in Elizabeth's childhood, her mother died. In the 1730s, after Elizabeth turned twelve, the Swanns set sail for the Caribbean on-board the [[HMS Dauntless|HMS Dauntless]], accompanied by Joshamee Gibbs and Lieutenant James Norrington. .]] During the voyage, Elizabeth spotted a boy floating atop a piece of driftwood, who it was later learned was the only survivor of a pirate attack against a vessel that had also been making the crossing from England. Her father asked Elizabeth to watch over the boy, which she did dutifully. She learned his name, Will Turner, and, to her surprise, that he had in his possession a pirate medallion. Fearing the consequences for the boy if Norrington learned of the boy's apparent status, Elizabeth took and hid the medallion. It was during this voyage that Elizabeth, studying the medallion now in her possession, caught a glimpse of a pirate ship with torn, black sails; the Black Pearl. This image would haunt Elizabeth for years to come. Little did she suspect this encounter would change her life forever. Dealing with Pirates The Governor's daughter Upon arrival at Port Royal, Governor Swann set himself up in a mansion overlooking the harbor town. Elizabeth made her home there also, while Will started work at a blacksmith's forge in the town. He and Elizabeth became good friends over the next eight years, although Elizabeth's high status appeared to draw a divide between them, making Will reluctant to show his true feelings for her. Both had fallen in love, but neither were prepared to admit it. and Will Turner in her father's mansion.]] By this time, Elizabeth and Will had both turned twenty, and Elizabeth still carried the medallion with her. She attended James Norrington's promotion ceremony at Fort Charles, wearing a corset that was far too tight for her (a recent gift from her father, all the latest fashion in London), and spent much of the time trying to keep herself from fainting. After the ceremony, James asked for a moment alone with Elizabeth out on the battlements, during which he proposed to her, having realized that all he was missing in his life was marriage to a fine woman. Elizabeth was surprised, and this, coupled with the constricting corset, caused her to faint and topple over the battlements. She plunged into the water far below, narrowly missing the rocks, and sank to the sea bed. As she sank, and unknown to her, the medallion sent out a ripple, confusing Mullroy and Murtogg who were on shore. threatening Elizabeth shortly after her rescue.]] Fortunately for her, Captain Jack Sparrow had arrived in Port Royal, and, witnessing Elizabeth's fall, dived into the water to save her. Bringing her up to the dock, Sparrow cut off her corset, and Elizabeth took a gulp of welcome fresh air. Sparrow also noticed her medallion, and seemed highly interested in it. Before he could say more, Norrington and his men arrived to arrest the pirate, despite Elizabeth's protests. However, Jack suddenly turned on Elizabeth, holding her hostage while his effects were returned to him, before making a spectacular escape. Shaken, Elizabeth returned to the mansion, where she reflected on the day's harrowing, yet exciting, events. Personality and traits In fine silk clothes, Elizabeth Swann looks every inch a lady. The daughter of Governor Weatherby Swann, Elizabeth played the part of the perfect governor's daughter but secretly Port Royal society bored her. She dreamed instead of a life of adventure. Even as a young woman, she never forgot the moment as a child when she glimpsed a pirate ship, the Black Pearl on her voyage from England to the Caribbean. At once both thrilling and frightening, it stood for everything she yearns for: excitement, danger, and freedom. Elizabeth was a beautiful, increasingly strong-minded and determined woman who often knew her own mind, having a fiery attitude and was headstrong. As a child, Elizabeth was not fond of her role as the governor's daughter. Maturing into an independent woman, Elizabeth developed a strong personality and a bright intellect. Elizabeth was known for having compassion for her friends, and would go to great lengths to help them, whenever she could. Even as a child, Elizabeth would often speak her mind even if it meant offending others. During her time as Pirate King of the Brethren Court, Elizabeth proved to be very charismatic and encouraged the pirates to face off against the East India Trading Company Armada which showed that she had a talent for leadership. When the time came, Elizabeth wasn't afraid of a fight. Starting out as spoiled rich governor's daughter, Elizabeth ultimately became a woman who bucks convention and becomes as fierce and competitive a fighter as Will Turner and Jack Sparrow.POTC3 Presskit Elizabeth was also quick-witted and clever. When she goes aboard the Black Pearl to "Parlay" with Barbossa, she uses the Gold Medallion to strike a bargain. Her threat to drop it overboard makes the captain cooperate, but she soon finds out she was foolish to trust him. Barbossa sails away, with Elizabeth still on board. Some challenges brought out the best in Elizabeth. With the Black Pearl in hot pursuit of the ''Interceptor'', most women of her time would have taken cover. Instead Elizabeth is in the thick of the fighting. She takes command, figures out a way to turn the ship, and shouts "Fire all!" to start the battle. Marooned with Captain Jack on a desert island, Elizabeth is horrified to discover that this bold pirate has no idea how to escape. While Jack drinks himself senseless, she burns his stock of rum. The huge fire alerts the navy and they are rescued the next morning. Much to her father's dismay, pirates have always fascinated Elizabeth. As a young girl on the voyage aboard the [[HMS Dauntless|HMS Dauntless]], she sang a pirate shanty. When the crew rescued a survivor from a pirate attack, she recognized the pirate Medallion he wore. Growing up, Elizabeth read too many books on the subject, gaining much knowledge on piracy including the hallowed Code of the Brethren, set down by Morgan and Bartholomew. She also romanticized the image of piracy as an obsession, but her notions of romance and adventure would change forever in a transition to go from her romantic notions to the cutthroat, dirty reality of piracy. In Elizabeth's dreams of an adventurous life she did not imagine herself being tossed in the air by a crew of skeletons. After her terrifying chase around the moonlit deck of the Black Pearl, she cowered in a corner of the captain's cabin. Despite her earlier fear, Elizabeth also had a little pirate in herself. And even though she thought she knew a lot about pirates, she soon learned that all the rules she believed in were meant to be broken. Rescued as a child at sea, Will Turner first met Elizabeth when they were children, when Will was rescued after pirates attacked the ship on which he was sailing. Will fell in love with Elizabeth but at first he was reluctant to tell her about his feelings because of their social divide. Eight years after they met, Will was the man of Elizabeth's dreams. However, he dared not reveal how he felt, for Elizabeth's father would never let them marry; a governor's daughter was too good for a lowly blacksmith.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, p.22-23 "Will Turner" But above all, Elizabeth followed her heart. Marriage to Commodore Norrington would have brought her wealth and respect, but she would rather wed a humble blacksmith-turned-pirate and become Mrs. Elizabeth Turner. Even her father realized that he could not persuade Elizabeth to change her mind. Will and Elizabeth were on the verge of marrying a year later, until Lord Cutler Beckett interrupted their well laid plans by arresting them. Although they had trust issues throughout the war against piracy, the two were married at the final battle with Beckett's Armada. When Will was fatally wounded by Davy Jones, Elizabeth was devastated, believing him dead after she was forced to leave the Flying Dutchman. Elizabeth's despair turned to joy when Will was at the helm of the Dutchman. They spent the remainder of their one day together, in which the two conceived a child, before Will left for his ten-year duty. When she was a young woman, Elizabeth's beauty attracted the attention of several other men including Hector Barbossa, Cutler Beckett, and Sao Feng. Even the infamous Jack Sparrow himself showed some level of interest in her, to a point of saying they were very much alike. Elizabeth was attracted to Jack, mainly because of her idea of a piratical life, also struggling with choosing between him and Will Turner during the search for the Dead Man's Chest. In spite of joining forces on several occasions, it is unknown where Jack and Elizabeth stood in terms of trust. Even though Jack saved Elizabeth from drowning, he threatened her life so he could escape Commodore Norrington's men. Another example Elizabeth's act of handcuffing Jack to the mast of the Black Pearl, delivering him to the Kraken, even though Jack saved the Pearl's crew in the Kraken's second attack. However, Elizabeth wanted to save Will Turner and the other crewmembers by giving time to escape. Although she told Jack "I'm not sorry" before leaving him, there was a certain amount of guilt that Elizabeth felt about her actions. Despite their differences, Elizabeth joined the voyage to rescue Jack from Davy Jones' Locker and Jack gave the final vote that made Elizabeth the King of the Brethren Court as well as helping save Will Turner from death aboard the Flying Dutchman. Shortly after his promotion ceremony, Commodore James Norrington spoke his mind to Elizabeth, telling her she became "a fine woman" as he proposed. Above all, Elizabeth followed her heart, which led to leaving Norrington for Will Turner. But she dreaded the thought of being a commodore's wife, respectable but dull, even though marriage would have brought her wealth and respect. Even after losing Elizabeth to Will, James Norrington still had feelings for her, but as an old friend. Appointed by the King of England, Weatherby Swann was the proud Governor of Port Royal. Since the death of his wife, Governor Swann has raised his daughter Elizabeth on his own, but it's no secret that he hadn't the skill to govern his rebellious daughter. Over the years Elizabeth has blossomed into a beautiful young lady, although at times she drove her father to distraction with her willfulness and disregard for propriety. Prior to the battle of Isla de Muerta, Governor Swann orders Elizabeth to remain in the captain's quarters of the Dauntless and out of harm's way. But he underestimated his daughter's spirit and determination, having discovered that she escaped using knotted bedsheets so she could help Will Turner. Despite their different opinions, Elizabeth still loved her father, even after finding out about his death at the hands of Lord Cutler Beckett. As the perfect governor's daughter, wearing fine silk clothes, Elizabeth Swann looked every inch a lady with her hair elegantly swept up. Elizabeth also wore a delicate antique lace trim and many fashionable dresses. Most notably on the day of James Norrington's promotion ceremony, a tightly-laced corset beneath the dress made it hard for Elizabeth to breathe, so she used a fan to give slight relief from the tropical sun. Laced tightly into a corset and fashionable dress, Elizabeth feels suffocated. She's happier disguised in sailors' clothes that let her move easily. Shortly after rescuing young Will Turner, a survivor from a pirate attack, Elizabeth recognized a "pirate medallion" he wore. She took the medallion so that the ship's crew would not guess Will was associated with pirates. Elizabeth kept the medallion hidden for the next eight years, not realizing the trouble it would bring. Appearances Notes and references Category:Females Category:Swann family Category:Turner family Category:Inhabitants of Port Royal Category:Inhabitants of London Category:Swordsmen Category:Black Pearl crew Category:Edinburgh Trader crew Category:Elizabeth Swann's crew Category:Empress crew Category:Joshamee Gibbs' crew Category:Hai Peng crew Category:Hector Barbossa's crew Category:Jack Sparrow's crew Category:Pirate captains Category:English